Identifiers

Identifiers uniquely and persistently pinpoint an entity to disambiguate it from others with the same or similar name or characteristics. They provide a transparent way to distinguish, for example, an author, institution, funder, or intellectual property. Integrated into important research workflows in the digital environment, identifiers support automated linkages that facilitate recognition and assessment. Identifiers are typically a numeric or alphanumeric string.

Update identifier

Update identifier

The CrossMark update identifier from CrossRef signals that publishers are committed to maintaining their scholarly content and ensuring the integrity of the published record. CrossMark applies only to published versions of a work that the publisher has committed to maintain. When this commitment applies, the CrossMark logo appears on the journal article, book, book chapter, or conference proceeding. Any CrossRef member publisher can participate in CrossMark.

Recommended action: use the update identifier

Readers can access CrossMark information from participating publishers at no charge. Given the rise in article retractions and concerns about authors citing work unaware of corrections, updates, errata, retractions, and withdrawals, researchers are strongly encouraged to look for the CrossMark logo. Publishers are placing the logo in different locations. See the Gallery for examples.

To verify you are using the most recent and reliable version of a work, simply click on the CrossMark logo. A pop-up Status box will indicate if the version is current or if an update is available. If an update is available, the Status box provides a CrossRef DOI link to the updated version at the publisher's website. If the publisher has provided additional information, for example, the publication's history, location of supplementary data, access policies, or funding sources, this information will be available on the Record tab.